


'Tis the Season

by bad_ash10



Series: Christmas Time is Here [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Movies, Christmas Presents, Christmas Tree, F/M, Gen, Phil Coulson just wants his team to have a merry christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28289502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bad_ash10/pseuds/bad_ash10
Summary: Philinda and the Bus Kids celebrate Christmas morning on base.
Relationships: Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Leo Fitz & Melinda May & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Series: Christmas Time is Here [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042866
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56
Collections: Agents of SHIELD Secret Santa 2020





	'Tis the Season

**Author's Note:**

  * For [browneyedgenius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/browneyedgenius/gifts).



> M, you asked for tooth-rotting fluff and I hope I delivered in this fic. :)
> 
> Sorry I have been gone from the discord for a bit, but between prepping for the holidays and El convincing me to watch The 100, I've been soooo busy lately! 
> 
> But I say that to say, if I don't talk to you before then, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a wonderful holiday season! <3

_ Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. _

Phil blindly reached out and shut off his alarm clock, hoping he got to it before the noise woke Melinda. Unfortunately, he discovered he was not quite fast enough when she rolled over and snuggled into his side.

“Mel, I’ve got to get up,” he whispered.

“No,” she mumbled, tucking herself closer against him.

Phil sighed. “But I’ve got to put the presents under the tree before everyone gets out of bed.”

She looked up at him in the dim light. “They know Santa isn’t real. You know that, right?”

“I feel bad they had to be on base on Christmas Eve, so a little holiday magic never hurts,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“Just give them their gifts at breakfast.”

“It’s not the same though, Mel. It’s not  _ magical  _ if I just hand them a gift that says ‘From: Santa.’ It needs to be under the tree when they wake up.”

Melinda sighed and pushed him away gently. “Well get to it, so we can go back to sleep,” she finished with a yawn.

“You don’t want to help?” Phil asked, sounding a little disappointed as he stood and pulled on a sweatshirt over his pajamas.

Melinda rolled back to her side of the bed. “It’s 4 am, Phil.”

“I take it that’s a ‘no’ then.” He couldn’t see to know for sure, but he was almost certain she had rolled her eyes at him. “I’ll be back soon,” Phil said with a chuckle.

Phil silently made his way to the common area where Daisy had insisted on putting up a small Christmas tree, albeit a rather sad one, where he put the few gifts out for the ‘kids.’

After several weeks of hearing Daisy complain about her laptop getting old, he and Melinda had decided to get her a new one (and bribed Fitz to upgrade it with some fancy hardware. Or maybe it was software? Computers were not his specialty). FitzSimmons had been harder to shop for though and Melinda had eventually convinced Phil they should give the young couple a dining room table for the apartment they were in the process of moving into. Of course, that wouldn’t be under the tree, but instead FitzSimmons were getting a card with a picture of the table and the number to call to schedule the delivery.

Coulson then placed five identical boxes beneath the tree as well. This was a surprise he hadn’t discussed with Melinda, and she would either love it or hate it, though he was hoping it would be the former.

He shivered in the cool air of the base and made his way quickly back to the bunk and the warm bed he shared with Melinda. This would be the first year they celebrated a Christmas together, and he was more excited for the holiday than he had been in many years.

* * *

Melinda woke a few hours later, Phil still asleep at her side. She snuck out of bed quietly and pulled her gift to him out from under the bed. A grin spread across her face as she imagined his reaction; he was going to love the Christmas Captain America pajamas she had gotten him.

She left the gift on his bedside table and made her way to brush her teeth before they went to cook breakfast for the kids. When she returned a few minutes later, Phil was sitting up in bed, patiently waiting for her to return before he opened the box she had left for him.

“Merry Christmas, Mel.” He said with a smile as she crawled back into bed, snuggling against him for warmth.

May gave him a quick kiss. “Merry Christmas, Phil,” she sighed happily. “Are you going to open your gift?”

“I didn’t know if I was supposed to open it yet,” he teased reaching for the box.

She shrugged, watching as he gently pulled the paper off the box, taking his time getting into the package.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally saw what was in the box. “OH. MY. GOD!” Phil was like a kid in a candy store with his reaction to the pajamas, as she knew he would be. “These are  _ perfect,  _ Mel.” He stripped off his other sweatpants and t-shirt and replaced them with the new ones.

“I’m glad you like them.”

He reached into the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a wrapped box, which he then handed to her. “I hope you like your gift, too.”

The box turned out to be full of a variety of teas from her favorite shop near her mother’s house, and even a few that she hadn’t been able to find since her last trip to China. He was the master of thoughtful gifts. “Thank you, Phil,” she said sincerely.

* * *

While Phil cooked waffles and bacon for everyone, Melinda busied herself making coffee for Phil and Fitz, and tea for herself, Simmons, and Daisy. In the past few weeks, Daisy had been stealing sips of May’s tea while they were in briefings or after their morning Tai Chi, so Melinda was making Daisy her own cup today.

Over the noise of sizzling bacon, the coffee pot, and the electric kettle, Melinda didn’t notice a sleepy Daisy stumbling into the kitchen until she felt a pair of slender arms wrap around her waist from behind and Daisy wiggled her way under May’s arm for a hug.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Melinda said fondly, as she hugged Daisy tightly. “Merry Christmas.”

Daisy mumbled something unintelligible but May assumed it was her half-asleep way of saying ‘Merry Christmas.’

“Here, Dais. I made you some tea.” Melinda told her, gently pushing the mug into Daisy’s hands.

“And waffles and bacon will be ready soon,” Phil piped happily from behind them.

Daisy took her tea and stumbled along to the couch where she curled up and gazed at the Christmas tree in the corner. After a moment, FitzSimmons made their entrance, dressed and ready to go, suitcases already in hand for their trip back to the UK.

“Just in time, you two.” Coulson held out a plate to each of them, which they gratefully took. “Breakfast is ready and you guys can open your gifts before you go.”

The two piled on the couch with Daisy who was showing some signs of life as she got more caffeine in her system.

“Who are the presents from, Daisy?” Simmons asked with a nod toward the tree.

Daisy shrugged, but Fitz leaned over to glance at the gift tags. “They say ‘From: Santa,’ Jem.”

Simmons grinned. “I assume they’re from Coulson, then?”

“And me,” May added as she handed Daisy a plate. “He didn’t pick out those gifts by himself, you know,” she added as she and Phil both sat in the oversize armchair.

As they ate, the kids all chatted, FitzSimmons telling Daisy about their itinerary in Scotland and England, Daisy asking them to take photos of the castle from  _ Outlander,  _ and overall just lighthearted chatter. They were all excited to have a few days off, provided a crisis didn’t pop up overnight, and enjoy some much needed down-time.

Melinda noted FitzSimmons sneaking glances at their watches and nudged Phil. “Okay, Santa. Give everyone their gifts.”

“Alright, alright,” he said, pulling the card for Jemma and Fitz out and passing it to them, and then handing Daisy her box with her new computer.

Fitz and Simmons were so grateful that Melinda and Phil had gotten them something so expensive as a gift and could not stop thanking them. Daisy though, was arguably the most excited about her gift. “Thank you!” she squealed and jumped up to hug Phil and Melinda each in turn before sitting down and booting up her new computer.

Simmons glanced at her watch once again. “Well, Fitz, I think we ought to be going.”

“Hang on, hang on. There’s still one more gift for everyone.” Phil added.

The other four turned to look at him as he brought out the five identical boxes, double checking the names on each one.

“What’s this, May?” Daisy whispered.

Melinda shrugged. She had no idea what Phil had up his sleeve for this one.

“Ok, open them all together!” He was so excited and Melinda knew instantly it would be something cheesy. Probably very thoughtful, but also very, very cheesy.

They all ripped into their boxes, and Daisy was the first to get into hers. “Oh… I  _ love this.” _

Melinda finally got into her own gift, and smiled broadly when she saw the black sweatshirt, featuring a line drawing of the Bus on the front. This was surprisingly a great gift and not at all what she was expecting.

“And don’t forget to look at the back, guys,” Phil said excitedly as he showed them the back of his own sweatshirt he had pulled from another box. His read ‘PAPA PHIL’ in big, bold letters.

Daisy and FitzSimmons were all laughing hysterically as they all noticed they had ‘BUS KID’ on the backs of their own shirts. May flipped hers over, a good idea of what hers would say after seeing everyone else’s. Somehow though, the ‘MAMA MAY’ still caught her off guard.

Apparently, it caught Daisy by surprise as well. “Oh my god. You guys knew that’s what we called you back on the Bus?” she asked incredulously.

Phil scoffed. “Of course, we knew. We lived on a plane together for months. There were  _ very  _ few secrets, Daisy.”

Everyone else kept talking, but May was silent, fighting back happy tears. Even though things had changed dramatically between their team and they felt more like a family these days, she still had to remind herself that those kids had loved her basically from day one, even if she hadn’t always seen it.

To her credit, Daisy noticed, and pulled May into a tight hug. “You know we love our Mama May, right?” she whispered.

Melinda nodded, squeezing Daisy even tighter.

“Daisy, help me put Fitz’s on him! He refuses to wear it!” Jemma called.

“I’m not going to wear it to the airport, Jemma! I don’t mind wearing it  _ here,  _ but we’re supposed to be on our way out,” Fitz protested.

Daisy laughed and pulled away from May slightly so she could yell at Fitz. “Put your sweatshirt on everyone. We’re taking a Bus Family Christmas Picture!” She was up and moving toward FitzSimmons on the other couch. “That means  _ you _ , Fitz!”

Fitz sighed, still swatting Jemma away. “Oh, now you’re ganging up on me? May, a little help please?”

May fixed him with a steely glare as she pulled her own sweatshirt on.

He stared at her, dumbstruck, as Phil, Daisy, and Jemma burst into excited laughter, before all yelling at over one another.

“Suck it up, Fitz!”

“May is on our side!”

“We’re taking a picture!”

Fitz held up his hands in defeat. “FINE! Fine! Give me the damn sweatshirt,” he said, snatching his back from Jemma who had been attempting to force it on him just moments before.

“Ok, picture time, then!” Phil announced as Daisy propped her phone on the table and set the timer. “Gather round the tree everyone!”

While Daisy was still fiddling with the settings on her phone, May hugged Simmons first, pulling her close, and murmuring “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, May,” Simmons replied happily, no doubt touched by the showing of affection from Melinda.

Melinda reached for Fitz next and he obviously wasn’t anticipating the embrace he found himself wrapped in, and May felt him hesitate briefly before he wrapped his arms around her as well, burying his face into her shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Mama May,” he whispered to her.

“Ok, break it up! We have five seconds before the picture!” Daisy called.

They all posed for the family photo standing arm in arm, as Daisy ran into the frame at the last second, kissing Melinda on the cheek. Even Melinda had to admit it was a great picture, and she immediately saved it as the wallpaper on her phone when Daisy sent it to her.

* * *

Once FitzSimmons left for the airport, Phil started cleaning the kitchen and washing the breakfast dishes, leaving Melinda and Daisy to find a movie for them all to watch. Daisy just ended up curling up halfway in Melinda’s lap under the pretense of being cold, though May suspected Daisy just wanted to cuddle, and honestly? She didn’t mind. It was Christmas after all.

“What if we watch  _ Christmas Vacation?”  _ Daisy asked.

“What about  _ The Grinch?”  _ May countered.

“Nah, I just watched that with Simmons two days ago.” Daisy kept calling out titles from her list, but she and May couldn’t come to an agreement. Eventually, Daisy gave up, snuggling further into Melinda’s side and readjusting the blanket that was draped over them. “Coulson!” she called from the couch.

“Daisy!” he called back from the kitchen.

May and Daisy both rolled their eyes. Typical dad move.

“Pick a movie, Phil! We can’t decide!”

They could hear him scrubbing away at one of the pans in the sink while he considered his answer. “Ummmm… Home Alone! The first one!” he finally said.

Melinda chuckled at the face Daisy made at his selection. “Don’t worry, Dais. You can take a nap if you want.”

“No,” Daisy said, pushing herself off the couch to get the movie ready, “He watches our movies. It’s only fair if I stay here to watch the movie he chose.”

She shivered in the chilly air of the underground base and popped the DVD in the player quickly before she climbed back under her blanket and laying on the couch with her head in May’s lap. “May, can I ask you a question?”

Melinda ran her fingers through Daisy’s hair, pulling a few stray strands out of the girl’s face. “Mmhmm.”

“Is this what Christmas is supposed to be like? I don’t think I’ve ever had a real one before. Not that I can remember anyway.”

May froze, an iron fist constricting around her heart at Daisy’s admission. She weighed her words carefully, knowing Daisy was listening intently. “We never really celebrated Christmas, but yeah. I think this is what most holidays are supposed to be – spending time with the people we love.”

Daisy stayed quiet, letting May continue playing with her hair. Somehow the simple repetition of the motion seemed to soothe her, and Daisy wondered briefly if that was what moms were supposed to be like. May was always protective of them, a real Mama bear if ever there was one, but Daisy rarely saw May like this, without the hard edge that she had on missions or when dealing with new recruits. No, Daisy knew this soft, maternal version of May was reserved exclusively for her and occasionally FitzSimmons. The snuggly version of May, though, Melinda only showed to Daisy.

“You know, Daisy,” Melinda said quietly. “We really do think of you guys as our family.”

Daisy nodded. “I know.”

“Yeah, we do.” Coulson said from behind her as he made his way toward his favorite recliner now having finished cleaning up their breakfast dishes.

“I love you guys,” Daisy said softly. “I know we don’t say it much, but I do. I don’t know where I’d be without you both.”

May kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tightly for a moment. “I love you too, Dais.”

Daisy glanced toward Coulson, who was watching her and May with what could only be described as a proud dad face.

“Well I think this has been a great Christmas so far.” Coulson said as he reached for the remote. “Now we can watch the best Christmas movie ever, and that will be the cherry on top of our morning.”

As Phil pressed play, Melinda readjusted her and Daisy, trying to make it where they could both stretch out a little more to be comfortable for the duration of the movie. Daisy obviously wasn’t happy with this, based on her grumpy “hmmph,” and she ended up laying half on top of May as the movie began, her head on May’s shoulder.

The opening credits of the movie began, and Daisy yawned widely. If this was what a real Christmas was supposed to be, a day off work to eat waffles with your siblings and watch a movie with your parents, then she was definitely a fan of the holiday.

Daisy yawned again, she had belly full of waffles, and was on warm and cozy on the couch with her mother. Her eyelids fluttered a few times before she finally stopped fighting to keep them open. Maybe she would take a nap after all…

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays again, M! Thanks for being another one of my amazing fandom children. :)


End file.
